Influenza epidemics:Annual influenza epidemics are thought to result in three to five million cases of severe illness and between 250,000 and 500,000 deaths around the world, WHO says.

In Mexico, fears over the virus have already shut down schools, museums and theatres and emptied restaurants and bars, threatening lasting damage to an economy already hit hard by the global economic crisis.

Tourists have cancelled holiday bookings, dealing a huge blow to an industry that usually accounts for about eight per cent of the Mexican economy.

Al Jazeera's Marianna Sanchez, reporting from the beach resort of Cancun, said thousands of tourists have been leaving and usually packed planes landing in the city have been arriving almost empty.

Banking giant HSBC has forecast the flu crisis could cause Mexico's economy to contract by about 0.3 per cent for every week it lasts.

With the virus continuing to spread around the world, the Netherlands has become the latest country to report its first confirmed case.

A three-year-old child, who recently arrived back from Mexico, is receiving treatment and recovering well, Dutch health officials said.

In Asia officials in South Korea reported two further probable cases of H1N1 infection on Friday.